Radar systems are used in a variety of applications, including aircraft navigation, security and defense applications, as well as automotive applications for driver assistive functions, object detection, etc. Frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) radar systems continuously radiate power from one or more transmit antennas to create frequency modulated signals referred to as “chirps.” An array of receive antennas receive scattered or reflected signals from detected objects within the range of the transmit antenna or antennas. Radar systems employ different chirp signals at different times in order to cover multiple radar ranges, such as long and short ranges for object detection and other uses. Certain radar systems mix the receive signal with the transmitted chirp signal to create an intermediate frequency (IF) signal to facilitate detection of objects at different ranges (distances). A first fast Fourier transform (FFT) can be performed on the received data to separate the objects in a range domain, and a second FFT can be performed for relative velocity or speed separation to yield multidimensional data indicating the range and relative velocity of detectable reflectors or objects. In essence, the distance can be estimated by estimating the frequency of the received IF signal which in turn is related to the round-trip delay and hence the range of a reflector or object. Velocity is estimated by observing the same object across multiple chirps and looking at the phase rotation or movement of the frequency difference. A third FFT can be performed across data from multiple receive chains to separate angle information. One problem with current systems is large power consumption, particularly for battery powered applications.